this weather is ideal for hunting New Zealand Flatworms, six yesterday and three today. its devastating to have them in the garden, after discovering them in the spring I have collectetd thousands this year and drop them into a bag of salt. . over the last few years I always wondered why I would dig over the soil and never see a worm, even though I bring bags and bags of horse manure and well rotted muck with worms in it from the farm. so now its obvious why.
I'm not as comfortable using the camera as I used to be, so easy just to snap away on your phone. This isn't quite in focus, using the display rather than the viewfinder, think I need to lean it on my head to get it steady... lol... or is it the age of the camera not working quite properly.
Age, another thing, mine... it hurts my eyes to use the viewfinder, giving me a headache. I don't wear glasses for normal day to day things, but do for reading now.
I'm always grateful for what grows. I'll eat them, with some bought potatoes, for dinner.
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and a good late afternoon temperature. it shows , from the top, Max-Current-Min... so the minimum is from during the night, pretty warm for scotland.
it did the job and the greenhouse maximum was 38c.
Seeded directly into the middle bed, under the pallet collar/shower door ''cloche''. Carrot Ideal, Yellow Beetroot Boldor, Red Beetroot Detroit, Parsnip Hollow Crown and Turnip Sweetbell.( have marked these as 25th because I guessed the date... lol) .
The beetroot and parsnips are more or less 'station sown' , but the carrot and turnip seeds get more of a ''row'' thing going on because they are so small and run away from me, which means they need careful checking and thinning if necessary. ...
Beetroot , parsnip and turnip are in small blocks about 16 inches square, and the carrots are 16 inches one way, three feet across... ish... because the wooden frame is a bit smaller than three feet. . And I must try to remember to draw plans this year because it really does not stay in my head from year to year, never has.....
Thinly scattered rock dust before the seeding and I marked out my 'squares' with calcified seaweed. I think these things do well as long term/slow release additives. The bed is dug over with horse poop so thats where most of the ''oomph'' will come from.
In the bottom right corner of that photo is a lot of white horse hair.. I've been putting bags and bags of it into the garden which all the neighborhood birds. large and small, have been taking for their nests. its amazing watching them but have failed to get any photos. point the camera and they fly away...
I wonder sometimes too, with bargain stores selling vegetables cheaper than big supermarkets, speciality vegetable shops are few and far between and those have high prices, but always very good quality.
one thing the article did not 'quantify' , or price?.. no words for it... is the feeling of satisfaction that you get when adding your own vegetables to a meal. even if you haven't grown enough for a whole meal.... a few winter months I was more than happy to make a small omlette one day at the weekend with a few little bits of broccoli, some chard and kale that has survived and grown a little through the winter. at this precise moment I could probably pick about three leaves of chard and some chives... perfect for an omlette.. but I have no eggs... lol.
so my question is ''does gardening have to save you money?''
and my answer is... no it doesn't have to because it will provide enjoyment and health in itself, I think overall that it does save money and provide good fresh vegetables, the expense of potting compost and equipment is considerable, it can take years to build things up. the last couple of years I've purchased a few new seed trays and propagator lids each spring, I now have just about enough and wont' have to look about for alternative.. the kitchen washing up bowl or a plastic storage contaier, these are useful things too. lol..
seeds planted include,...Peas Ambassador, Endives, Mustard, Pak Choi, Cabbage, Beetroot, Collards, Turnips, Oriental Spicy Mix and a lettuce mix that is varous left over seeds that I've mixed into a plastic container.only the peas are new seeds. all the others are from last year and older which is sometimes a hit or a miss, but its all in the fun... have fun.
last week was very nice almost summery weather... because I'm off work this week its snowing in flurries, my usual luck with the weather. I've put my laundry out anyway because it'll get mostly dry and smell nice. as a holiday present to myself I've bought four more seed trays, and two clear lids. and three small ones to start stuff in the house.
in the greenhouse the leeks are doing great, some onions came from last years seed and two trays of marigolds seeded so hopefully have lots for in amongst the vegetables. you can see in the video there is new wood for a veggy plot beside the clothes pole, there did used to be one there but its grown over. it might not get used this year as i'm short on time to get it going, also it'll get filled with fresh manure and it'll be okay for next year.
Greenhouse temperatures show 19.5, 5.5, 1.9 this morning
Quince had her rainsheet put on yesterday ahead of the weather so she doesn't get too wet and cold.
